Employees Are Family

Employees Are Family

Employees are not loyal anymore. Most of them are not properly managed by their employers. Majority of reasons why employees quit their job are under the control of the employer. Although it is not the fault of the Boss entirely but they can do something about it to make their employee think twice before leaving their company.

I was raised in a family were I saw that their staff, employees, katiwala (trusted helper), driver, gardener, cook, labandera (one who does the laundry), and other servants stayed and have been loyal to my Grandmother and my Mother in our province in Balayan, Batangas.

One thing why it was effective was the proximity. Laborers live just a few minutes away from my family’s residence. Our workers get to see their family everyday. They don’t work long hours and most important of all… they are happy!
Maybe that is one of the reason why maids in Manila or in big cities leave their boss (or Amo) very early in their stay. They simply just miss their families in their province. So that is one factor… PROXIMITY.
Make sure that you’re employees are living near their families or better yet bring their families to them… especially if you feel that your employee is worth keeping.

Another thing is that employees feel that they are DEGRADED. Like their job is somewhat demeaning. For example, if you are a Yaya.. would you like to wear a Yaya uniform or the regular casual clothes? or if you are a Driver… would you like your Boss to tell you to wait in the Driver’s lounge or you have the freedom to roam around the mall until your Boss calls you?
Do you see what I’m getting at?

I was trained and guided by my elders in my clan to treat all employees as family members. And to bring out the curiosity in me, I even go visit their place and observe how they are living and believe me…. it is not as hard as it looks. They are also happy like you and I (even without the material things).

Eventually, I grew up and had my share of employees whom I think I treated well. One of them is this guy in the picture. He goes by the name of “Ise”. He is happily married with 3 lovely daughters and 1 cute little boy.
Like me, Ise’s family also originated from the same province. He is what I call “Tao sa Una” (People who came from a family clan with good dignity and respect).

Ise was one of the guys who managed my Poultry way back when I still had that business. Today, he just takes care of what is left behind. Like this motorcycle with sidecar that I bought several years ago (We call it a Bangkulong).
Because we treat each other as family members, Ise makes sure that this small vehicle stays in good condition. If I treated him like trash, I’m quite sure my motorcycle will be deteriorated with rust. I won’t be surprised if it will turn into scrap ready to be pick up as junk.
If you look closely at the photo, the motorcycle stills looks brand new.

Ise also looks after the land that I inherited from my Lola (Grandmother). Takes care of some of our livestock, mahogany trees and few fruit bearing trees. As of the moment, both him and I are thinking of a new Agri-business venture that will benefit us both.
I have to say that he is a worthy and dependable employee.

I know I am not the only one who have a reliable guy like Ise. There are lots of people who are living in the city or the province that have their own version of Ise.
But those who doesn’t and had troubles keeping their helpers… it is not too late to change your ways. Be good and good will come back to you… sometimes in ten fold.
Treat them like family. Just try it and maintain it. You will then fully know the true meaning of LOYALTY!

Written on January 16, 2018